Toronto Raptors come up short in loss Milwaukee Bucks

Toronto Raptors come up short against Milwaukee Bucks

TORONTO — Brandon Jennings was sporting a popular look for NBA players before a game in the locker room, which is to say he was texting while wearing Beats By Dre headphones.

When athletes adopt this pose, they often pair it with the shunning of reporters’ inquiries. But as the subject of the questioning came into clear view, Jennings unleashed one of the most genuine smiles you will see around this league. As the lockout rolled on this autumn, Jennings and DeMar DeRozan, childhood friends from Compton, Calif., organized a flag football game in Los Angeles.

Despite some disadvantages, Jennings’ team won by a touchdown.

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“I told him it was only us as NBA players that could play. He decided to bring two more,” Jennings said before his Milwaukee Bucks beat DeRozan’s Toronto Raptors 105-99. DeRozan stacked his team with the Lakers’ Matt Barnes and the Bobcats’ Corey Maggette. “And we won in the last minute. It was a fourth down and the game was tied. We threw a long ball and we beat them.

“I’m sure he wants that rematch bad now. He brought his crew and I brought mine, and we beat them.

“I threw six touchdowns,” DeRozan, the quarterback, said, before deriding his own accuracy. “Three for my team, three for them.”

The parallels between then and Wednesday night’s game were readily apparent at the Air Canada Centre, but that is beside the point. By now, the craziness of the two 22 year olds being where they are has been stated: Born fewer than two months apart in 1989 and growing up in the same Los Angeles suburb notorious for its danger, the Raptors swingman and Bucks point guard were picked back-to-back in the 2009 draft. DeRozan went ninth, Jennings 10th.

Since then, they have traded success. In their rookie seasons, Jennings was a hype machine, buoyed by his 55-point game early in the year; DeRozan figured less prominently with the Raptors, who featured Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu. DeRozan took off in his sophomore year, doubling his scoring average from 8.6 to 17.2; Jennings battled injuries and an inconsistent shot.

This year, fortunes have reversed once again. Jennings, having bumped his shooting percentage up four percentage points, is an all-star candidate; DeRozan has regressed, making only 38% of his shots.

“That’s why the special players are special players, because they can do it regardless of double teams or [physical play] or having the other team’s best defender on them,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after the game, in which DeRozan scored 25 points. “And that’s where DeMar is going to. He’s getting to that.

“I feel for him. I’m with him thick and thin because every game is ‘DeMar this, DeMar that, DeMar this.’”

The two players do not talk as much as they used to during the season. When they do, as DeRozan said, “We talk about some nonsense outside of basketball that’s irrelevant to life, probably.”

Still, they can be each other’s sounding board.

“It’s definitely nice, especially because you can relate without actually [having to explain yourself] to somebody, see what they’re going through and assessing your situation with your friend,” DeRozan said.

On this evening, DeRozan outshone his friend. He hit four three-pointers, and was aggressive throughout the evening. It did not pay off in free throws, but DeRozan mixed up his jumpers with forays into the paint. Although it has been lacking this year, Jennings said it is that aggressiveness that is the biggest difference in DeRozan’s game from when he was younger. He finished with 25 points.

Against the Raptors, Jennings’ jumper was off — he drew air twice. However, his reverse layup in the second quarter was just a hint at what he can do.

“He is probably one of the [most] fearless point guards in the league,” DeRozan said. “If you watch him play, he’s not that big, he’s not that strong but he has the heart of a lion. He wants to take everybody apart, no matter who he plays.”

As for the game at hand, the first of a seven-game home stand for the Raptors, the Bucks won it from beyond the arc. Mike Dunleavy Jr. had three three-pointers in the second quarter, while ex-Raptor Carlos Delfino hit six.

They both helped Jennings gain basketball bragging rights in addition to his flag football bragging rights. Struggles notwithstanding, at least DeRozan has found his calling.